An Unlikely Relationship
by blerghy
Summary: AU. 'I have never liked Prince Lief of Deltora. He is arrogant, hotheaded, annoying, cold at times…' Jasmine and Lief were always rivals, but will Jasmine's thoughts on the young prince ever change? Can she learn to let go of her pride?
1. The Christmas Party

A/N: In this story, the Shadow Lord never invaded Deltora. Lief grew up as prince, while Jasmine grew up as a normal girl in Del. What happened as a result of that? Read to find out, and I'd appreciate a review at the end:)

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

The Christmas Party

I have never liked Prince Lief of Deltora. He is arrogant, hotheaded, annoying, cold at times, gorgeous… Wait, did I just say that? I must be going mad. I did not just say that. Anyway, we were always rivals as children. We played pranks on one another and teased each other constantly. The other children never understood why we hated one another. I think it was just an instant reaction, our personalities clash.

I had not seen Lief in about a year. My father Jarred had organised a Christmas party and had invited many young men, hoping I would fall for one of them. He seems to think that I need a man to take care of me, even though he knows I am a strong fighter. I talk to the young men that he finds, some of them are even interesting. I always decline their advances when they attempt to flirt with me, however.

My friends, Alice, Rachel and Tara, were constantly flirting with the men around us during the Christmas party. Father had even brought in some musicians (he can be incredibly extravagant at times) and there were many couples dancing. There was food on all of the tables and large groups of people were talking and eating. I will never understand why they come to our Christmas parties…

"Jasmine! There is a group of people coming this way. Guess who it is?" Tara exclaimed excitedly.

"Who?" I asked warily.

"It is Prince Lief, and the king and queen!"

My stomach plummeted. This was just wonderful. My childhood enemy was coming to my Christmas party. His father and my father had been friends for years, but I never went with Father to the palace.

"Jasmine, I do not think you have seen Lief in ages. He is very handsome…" Alice trailed off dreamily. I could not care less how handsome the future king was, Alice should have known that. I would have to actually talk to him, seeing as otherwise I would be grounded for months.

There was a loud knock on the door. Father opened it and ushered the royal family and their escort inside. I took one look at Lief and had to stop my jaw from dropping. Alice was right, he is very handsome. He has thick, silky black hair and the most beautiful eyes of a stormy grey. He is tall, taller than his father, and quite muscular. He is very graceful and smiles a gentle smile, flashing his white teeth.

Alice, Tara and Rachel walked over, doing their very best to look elegant, and greeted the royals with low curtseys. The king and prince inclined their heads, and the queen gave a slight curtsey. The guards bowed low. My friends all blushed slightly because of their close proximity to Lief. They only like him because he is royalty…

A guard with a thick beard spoke to Lief and they both laughed a little. I think his name is Barda… yes that is it. Barda, captain of the royal guards. I do believe that he has been friends with the royal family for a good few years. It still beats me as to why anyone, including Father, would want to be closely acquainted to them. Lief may be handsome, but personality is what I look for in a friend.

Queen Sharn interrupted Lief and Barda's conversation and said something to him. He nodded and whirled away from her. He was walking towards me. Father came up beside me (good timing on his part) just as Lief reached me. I curtseyed to Lief, looking as mocking as I possibly could without being reprimanded. He bowed to me and smiled.

"Good evening, Lady Jasmine. Good evening, Jarred. I trust that you are both well?"

"Very well, thank you, Lief. It seems that your parents brought quite a large escort." Father replied, arching an eyebrow.

"Indeed they did." Lief sighed. "I personally do not see the point. We are only around ten minutes walk from the palace, and I am perfectly capable of looking after my self, as is my father."

"I am sure they have a good reason. They are probably concerned for your safety." Father said.

"They worry too much. I am not an ornament, I will not break easily. They forget that I am not only a prince, I do have a personality!" The prince snapped.

"They do not treat you like an ornament, I am sure. And they have good reason to worry! You are the only heir to the belt after all." Father pointed out.

I watched as Lief looked over at his parents. Sharn gave him a significant look that left no room for his opinion. She wanted him to do something that he did not want to do. Lief sighed and looked at me. "Would you do me the honour of dancing with me?" he asked reluctantly. I looked at Father and he gave me a look that told me I would either dance with Lief or be in very deep trouble. I chose the former; it would give me time to taunt him.

"You honour me, your Majesty." I replied, smiling a smile that he knew was fake. Lief led me to the dance floor and we began to dance, very reluctantly and as far apart as possible.

"I hear that you will be married very soon, your Highness. Do tell me, who is the lucky girl?" I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster.

"I am not engaged, though it is my parents' wish. I have no inclination to marry in the near future." He replied, giving me one of his infamous glares.

"What a pity. I wonder if you will ever have the inclination to marry? Or is it that you can find no woman who will accept you?" I questioned coldly.

Lief stopped being polite and became the boy I remembered as he said, "You know very well that many women wish to marry me. There is a simple reason for that, Jasmine. _I am prince_! Just because I do not care about any of the harlots who try to gain my love does not mean I will never marry."

"Language, Majesty. What would your parents say if they heard you call all the poor, deceived girls who think that you are a reasonable person harlots? They would be so ashamed." I chided.

"They are already ashamed of me, one more thing could not matter much. Thank you for pointing that out my _Lady_!" he snapped. I was taken aback. That was the last thing that I had expected him to say. His parents were ashamed of him? I wonder why? He seems to be a perfect little prince when he is around them.

We finished the dance and let go of each other very quickly. He walked me over to my father and then walked off again. He was soon out of my sight, which was a very good thing for both of us. Alice came up to me and began ranting on about how handsome and graceful and _perfect _Lief was. I nearly choked on the water that I had been drinking. Lief perfect? Never.


	2. A Slightly Irritated Prince

A/N I would like to thank Riha-Jas and Sayian Knight for their wonderful reviews, and somekindasuperstar for proofreading. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

"Jasmine, look at that!" Alice exclaimed, nudging me and pointing in the direction of some jewellery. We were walking through the streets of Del, a week after the Christmas party, looking at all the little stores. Alice wanted to look at pretty accessories, Rachel wanted to look at weapons and Tara wanted to buy some food. Me? I wanted to go home. There is only so much time I can spend browsing through stalls without getting snappish. There are so many people in the market of Del, with everyone talking at once and little children running to and fro, can you blame me for getting irritated?

"That looks like a good sword, does it not, Jasmine?" Rachel asked, looking terribly excited. I nodded my head curtly, without even looking at the item in question. Because my father is a blacksmith, Rachel has realised that I have an extensive knowledge of weapons, so she constantly badgers me about them. If I get married, I am never going to have children. I cannot stand people pestering me, so I think I would make a very difficult mother.

"I am hungry." Tara whined.

"Stop complaining, we already know." I snapped. Well, looks like I reached my breaking point. Tara looked at me with sad hazel eyes, obviously hurt by my flare of anger.

"Jasmine, be nice." Alice said reproachfully. They all know I have a bad temper; even Rachel's temper is not as fierce as mine. But then again, I live with my father, Jarred, and he is not exactly known for patience. My mother, Anna, is the calm one in our household.

I sighed. "Fine. There is a food stall over there." I began stalking in the direction of the aforementioned stall, and my friends followed in my wake. They are all very nice people, but they are also quite soft, though Rachel is more like me than the other two. I can be a bit rough with them at times, but who can scold me for that, when I sometimes feel like I am babysitting them?

I halted abruptly as I saw my nemesis, Lief. He was sitting with his back to me, talking to his friends. I will never comprehend how they can put up with him for long periods of time, but then again, I do not like any of them either. They are well suited to one another, in my opinion; every one of them is arrogant and shockingly annoying.

Alice noticed Lief after me, quickly patting down her brown hair to try and make herself more presentable in case he turned around. That is another difference between my friends and I. They are completely obsessed with boys. I have nothing against males, I even have a few male friends, but I am not interested in marriage or any of the things that come before that and after. It still astounds me how my friends think they are madly in love with Lief. It is an infatuation, nothing more. As I have told them before, though they would not listen, I pity the woman who ends up marrying him.

Tara and Rachel noticed him too. I shot them a warning glance, making it clear that I did not want to talk to the prince, and they complied with my wishes, walking to the food stall. I sometimes wish my friends would stand up to me and give me a challenge. I love fights, but they are too gentle to try and argue with me.

I saw a bag of oats and an idea popped into my head. I bought it from the confused merchant selling it, grinning deviously. My friends turned to face me just as I scrambled up a tree that had thick branches right over the boys' heads. I have always been good at climbing, even though it is not a very lady-like activity, as my mother put it, but I do it anyway.

I quietly crept along the branch until I was right above Lief. He was still talking to his companions, so he was oblivious to me being right above him. Without further ado, I tipped the bag of oats right onto the prince's head. Yes, I do realise that it was a very foolish and childish thing to do, but I have never been good at resisting temptation. I am an impulsive person, I act before I think.

Lief went rigid as the small flaky particles landed in his hair and on his clothes. His friends stared in complete shock for a moment, before they all burst out laughing. The prince's head snapped up and his eyes narrowed as he saw me. I nearly laughed as well. He was covered in oats from head to toe, I noted triumphantly.

"Oh, your Majesty, I am so sorry. It was an accident." I said. He knew I was lying, but could do nothing about it. How could he prove that I had done it deliberately?

"One of these days…" he trailed of menacingly, still glaring at me.

"Majesty, I said it was an accident, why should you seek revenge?" I asked, pretending to be innocent. I know the fact that I am in a tree, right above his head holding an empty bag of oats, is a very obvious indication that my actions were intentional, but he cannot do anything about it, much to his displeasure.

"You know, my Lady, that it is dangerous to play with fire. You will have to watch your back." Lief growled, getting off the walk and stalking away. His still guffawing friends followed after him, clutching their sides.

"That was a mean trick, Jasmine." Rachel snapped, after I had gotten down and rejoined my friends.

"The prince is a mean person, and anyway, he deserved it. It is not like I have done any lasting damage, either. He can just dust himself off and then he will be back to his useless old self. Trust me, it could have been a lot worse." I replied.

"I still do not think you should have done that. He is a prince!" said Rachel.

"All the more reason for him to be brought down. He is too conceited." I said, secretly happy of my victory, even if it would only last a while. "I am going to go home now." I continued. "I will see you soon?"

"Yes, of course. Goodbye." Tara said cheerfully. My friends waved and walked off in their own directions. I smiled and began walking home. My mother has just gotten back from Tora; she was sent there because she was ill, and she is much better now.

I strode down the streets of Del until I finally reached my home, the forge. The house itself is not very large, but it is comfortable and a nice place to live, overall. I opened the gate and walked up the path to the door, knocking and waiting for it to open.

"Hello, sweetheart." Mother said as she allowed me to enter. I was ushered into the living room, wondering what was going on, and I sat down in one of the most comfortable chairs.

"Jasmine." My father said gravely. "There is something that you need to do."


	3. The Beginning Of Something New

A/N: Okay, I think it's obvious that I'm a really bad updater. I'm sorry I took so long, will you all forgive me? I really didn't mean to. But I have a good excuse! The... umm... the aliens kidnapped me! Well... okay, I have no real excuse. But stuff happens, right? Well again, I'm sorry. This chapter is longer than the rest to try and make up for the lack of updates. I just hope it doesn't bore you all to death...

Disclaimer: If Deltora Quest actually belonged to me, there would have at _least _been an 'I love you' scene between Lief and Jasmine. :)

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The Beginning Of Something New

"Jasmine," my father said gravely. "There is something that you need to do."

I saw my father exchange a glance with my mother, who was looking upset, which baffled me. What was there to be upset about? I sat and waited for around a minute while my parents seemed to be having one of those staring competitions where your staring partner can seemingly read you thoughts. Never worked for me, but back to the point.

"Yes, father?" I said, trying not to sound too impatient, but failing dismally.

"Sweetheart, I do not want you to feel pressured into this. They can always find someone else," my mother said gently.

"Father just said that I needed to do it!" I pointed out.

Father nodded slightly, telling me, "I know that once you hear what I have to say, you will want to go through with it. And I do not trust anyone else to do the job as well as you."

I felt a surge of pride at his words, and waited for him to go on. Two minutes later and I was _still_ waiting. Yes, my parents had engaged in another one of their gazing conversations. I know people say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but I really disagree. If you just look at the eyes, without looking at skin or eyebrows or anything around them, what do you see? Eyes. That is all. No emotions or pain or undying love, just eyes. And right then, I was getting really sick of eyes.

"Yes, father?" I prompted again, beginning to frown. If it was such an important matter, why were they not telling me?

"Jasmine, there have been rumours that Grey Guards have set up a camp somewhere around the Forests of Silence. As you know, the Shadow Lord attempted to invade before you were born, but Endon had the Belt on during that time, after feeling the sudden need to wear it. The chief advisor was killed, having been proven a traitor, and the tradition of having advisors do most of the work was broken, hopefully never to return again. Now, there is a possibility that the Belt will not be able to stop an attack from the Shadow Lord. The Lord cannot enter Deltora himself, but his minions are able to. And he may be able to turn some of our people," father said.

"What does all this have to do with me? What am I supposed to do?" I asked. A feeling of dread had settled in the pit of my stomach at the mere mention of the Shadow Lord.

"Endon needs some people that we know can be trusted to investigate the rumour of Grey Guards. I would go, but I am getting too old, and I am far more likely to be captured as a result. This mission is extremely dangerous, however. If you were caught, you would be killed," father said gravely. I felt mother's hand on squeeze my shoulder, as though reminding herself that I was still with her.

I was asked go on a quest to potentially save Deltora from the Shadow Lord. At the thought of that foul being, I felt dread again, but it was overpowered by hatred. A deep hatred that made me truly want to destroy it and all its minions. If a camp was found, our people could annihilate it before they had a chance to strike, with the right information. The quest was very important, and I was going to see that it was completed successfully, or die trying.

"I will go," I said firmly. My father nodded gravely again, and my mother looked so fearful and broken-hearted that I felt terrible, but I had to go on the quest. It was now my duty.

"We will go to the palace in the morning. You will be leaving tomorrow afternoon, just after lunch if all goes well," father said, looking grim, but accepting of my choice. He had known that I would go.

"But for now, you must eat and sleep. You will have a hard journey ahead of you," my mother said sadly, squeezing my shoulder once again.

- - - - - - - -

I have always been an early riser, and the next morning was no exception. I woke up and got dressed even earlier than normal; so early that only a tiny amount of the sun could be seen. Mother fussed over me while I ate breakfast and packed the belongings I would take. I could only take what was absolutely necessary, as I would have to carry it all. Father just followed us around, still with that grim expression in place. He really needs to smile more… But then again, I am his only child. If it were my child going on a life-threatening mission, I would feel the same.

Finally, after managing to decide which items were necessary for survival and packing them into a bag, my parents and I left the house, my mother clinging to me. I appreciated the comfort, though I tried not to let my nervousness show. That would just make the situation worse.

Walking up the hill, we reached the palace. The palace is… well… a palace, for lack of a better description. Massive walls of stone, towers, gardens, nobles, servants, guards, arguing royal family… wait, arguing royal family?

My family and I hurried forward, only to hear the yelling and cursing that happens when Prince Lief gets into an argument. Why he was behaving like that with his parents is beyond me, he is normally well behaved around them. And strangely, they were yelling right back.

"I cannot believe you! How useless do you think I am?" I heard the prince yell.

"Do not even think of disobeying me again! You are staying," the queen yelled back. For a normally calm, gentle woman, she can be really scary. I would hate to be the one arguing with her.

"Do not even try to order me around!" Lief shouted. He really needs to work on his temper in my opinion. I have a bad temper too, but he is a prince, he is supposed to be elegant and refined.

"It is in your best interests, Lief! You are being ridiculous!" Sharn cried.

"Bit rich coming from you!" Lief shot back.

"Do not talk to your mother that way," Endon growled. I would hate to be related to Lief, he makes even the calmest people's blood boil.

"Maybe if she was not such a controlling rampallion then I would not feel the need to!" Lief snarled. I could see the king go red in the face with anger after that insult. Calling his mother controlling is one thing, but going on to call her a scoundrel is not the wisest idea the prince ever had. But then again, when were any of his ideas wise?

"Stop this at once, Lief! Your mother and I only have your best interests at heart. We are the ones that have taken care of you for all of these years. Show some respect, boy! Learn your place. You are a prince, and you should start acting like one," Endon snapped.

"Oh, well I am sorry if I am not the son you wanted. You want me to change? Well it was you that made me like this in the first place! I am not a possession, so stop treating me like one!"

I pity his parents. I do not blame them for getting angry; the prince is infuriating. I dislike him more each day. I am sure that the king and queen are just trying to protect him, though I am not sure why they bother. He would make a terrible king, I believe. But I wonder what they are arguing about in the first place… does he want to come on the journey with me? If that is the case, I swear I will throttle him myself. Such an arrogant ass…

"Lief, you are not leaving. Get inside now, before you get into even more trouble," Sharn snapped.

"No! I hate you both! I wish you were out of my life!" the prince shouted, and by the expression on his face, it seemed that he meant it.

Sharn's eyes welled with tears and she turned and ran back into the palace, sobbing into her hands. I sent a glare at Lief, though he did not seem to notice. He was too busy scowling at his father.

"I expect to see you at dinner, Lief. You will apologise to your mother then. Go to your room," Endon said quietly, before turning on his heel and following his crying queen.

I looked at my parents, and saw that my mother looked shocked, but my father seemed relatively unaffected. It seems that the royal family argue more than I thought. But I guess I should not be all that surprised; Prince Lief is too arrogant and annoying for anyone to be able to spend long periods of time around him without snapping.

The captain of the guards walked towards the prince carrying two bags. What is his name again? I always forget it. I really should pay more attention. Well, he is the guard that the princeling was with at my father's party.

"Are you ready?" the guard asked Lief, handing him one of the bags. That had better not mean what I think it means…

"Yes, Barda. Thank you," Lief said, hoisting the bag over his shoulder. Then, to my utter horror, the two came over to me.

"I was aware that Barda would be accompanying Jasmine on this journey, but not you, Lief," my father said. Oh, so he was aware of that? How kind of him to actually tell me that I would have a travelling companion.

"I am going too, and do not even think of trying to stop me," Lief snapped. All he seems to do is snap and yell at people. He really needs to get his act together; he is a prince.

Wait a minute; he is coming with me as well? Does he not realise how much danger he would be in? The danger of me chocking him to death, I mean, not the danger of Grey Guards.

"No way, princeling, you are far too delicate to come on a journey like this," I snapped. Oh no, he seems to be rubbing off on me. Why did I have to snap at him?

"Quiet, Jasmine. I am coming no matter what any of you say," he growled. Good grief, aggressive much? But I found that he was not as intimidating as he was before. Was it just me, or was he actually shorter?

"Have you shrunk?" I asked bluntly. He glared at me from a height a bit smaller than the height I was used to him being. Now he is only half a head taller than me…

"No, of course not. I am wearing travelling shoes instead of the palace shoes my parents make me wear," he muttered.

He really is a strange boy. One minute he is yelling his head off, the next he is bashful and quiet. And he wears high-heeled shoes? But I suppose that the palace fashion is a little strange. They all dress in very weird clothing. I am happy to say that he is not as tall as I thought he was. He is only around average height, if not slightly shorter. But then again, I am vertically challenged myself, so of course he would seem tall to me when wearing high-heeled shoes. Hah! I will never let him live that down. It completely ruins the 'tall, dark and handsome' image that he has going on, not that I ever thought that he is good looking.

"We had better get going," Barda said gruffly.

"Goodbye father and mother. We will be back as soon as we can," I said, embracing them both.

"Take care, sweetheart. We love you," my mother wept. I felt bad for her but I could not turn back now.

"Be brave, Jasmine. And take this," my father said. To my surprise he handed me his dagger. "Keep it under your clothing, and never let it out of your sight," he continued.

"Thank you," I said. I hid it under my jacket, above the dagger that I already had sheathed at my waist. With that, we finally said goodbye and walked away from my parents. I looked back and waved at them, unable to resist the temptation of doing so. Once they waved back, I returned my gaze to the road.

When we were out of Del, I accidentally met the prince's eyes, before we both hurriedly looked away. I am not entirely sure why, but I felt _something_ towards him. I was not sure what it was I had felt for him, and I was not willing to delve deeper, but I did know one thing. It was going to be a long journey.

A/N: So, any comments? Suggestions? Things you want to throw at my head? You can do all that and more by just pressing that lovely little button!


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